DETROIT`S LOYALISTS

In Michigan, more than in most states, you are what you drive. Residents celebrate their Big Three heritage with great enthusiasm, so Dodge vans tend to outnumber VW campers by a wide margin.

That loyalty to Detroit iron lends a charming tribal air to heavily trafficked areas. You soon begin to notice that Ford and Chevy pickups dominate the farm communities, while a sudden influx of Jeep Cherokees announces the presence of monied summer people.

Still, a surprising number of travelers brazen it out in Toyotas and Nissans without suffering more than an occasional expression of disdain. United Auto Workers in adjoining lanes tolerate the mild affront, perhaps because they`re on vacation themselves.